Chasing Bella
by mystique-jewled
Summary: Edward Cullen: retired street-fighter, notorious womanizer, and next-in-line to take over the most powerful mob in all of the U.S. Will a chance encounter with a beautiful brunette waitress and a passion like he's never known change him for the better? Or merely create waves in his line of profession? One-shot


**Chasing Bella:**

_2 Years Ago, Volturi Manor, Chicago:_

Aro Volturi clearly thought himself to be an intimidating motherfucker.

He sat there with his fingers folded in a tent under his chin, a condescending smile slapped on his face. Considering the fact that the bastard was pushing fifty, he should have had wrinkles all over his face.

Quite the fucking contrary.

His skin was pulled taut against his bones as if he'd had a face-lift every day since he was born. His skin looked like paper, too. I silently wondered if a piece would flake off if I breathed too hard.

Just to test the theory I took a deep breath and exhaled down my nose. I shook my head to make it seem as though I was still lost in thought. I chanced a glance at him from under my lashes.

_Damn it._

No snowflakes today, ladies and gentlemen.

Weird-ass skin aside, his entire house screamed pretension. Everything from the lacquered furniture to the decade-old paintings reminded me of a creepy mansion from some old Scooby-Doo episode.

I was just waiting for someone to come out and bribe me with Scooby-Snacks. I'd talk then.

Honestly, we live in the fucking twenty-first century, and he's rich. The least he could do is turn on a fucking TV and get some decent beer in here.

Fingering with the helm of my t-shirt, I waited in utter boredom for him to break the silence. I sure as hell wasn't going to do it.

From the opposite wall an old grandfather-clock ticks away, every second sounding out an annoying click. It's just another ridiculous reminder of how slowly the time is passing.

I look up to see Aro's smile stiffen a little. "Edward, we've sat here for little over an hour now, and you've yet to provide me with any sort of answer."

"Why me?" I asked finally, fixing him with my own intimidating stare.

He may have been the most influential mob boss in all of Chicago, but I wasn't going to let some old fucker scare me in to taking any job. I still had my ego. I subtly glanced at the suited men at either side of me.

They both had earpieces in their ears and dark sunglasses. They stood with their hands held respectfully in front of them.

_And I thought that people like them only existed in movies…_

"We could use your assistance, Edward," Aro replied, re-capturing my attention as he leaned forward. "I believe that we could benefit greatly from your…fighting prowess."

I scoffed, slumping backwards in my seat. "Oh, please, you already have your Men in Black." I gestured sarcastically towards the bodyguards.

One of them shifted slightly and I saw his head turn towards me, his jaw clenching. His hand twitched as though he wanted to punch me. I smirked right back at him.

_Try me, motherfucker._

Aro's eyes flickered between the man and me. "My intention would not be to make you one of my…'Men in Black'. I'm also aware that you briefly attended Columbia University before you fell in to misfortune."

My smirk widened. "So what you're saying is that you need a guy who can fight, but also has a brain?"

This time both men fidgeted. I think I even heard a growl from one. Aro, however, smiled.

"That is exactly what I'm saying. I've studied you for quite a while, Edward. I must say that I am impressed. I believe that you and me…we could be great together." His eyes were excited and I realized that he truly believed his words.

I stared at him as he leaned back and opened one of the drawers in the mahogany desk. He pulled out a small handgun and slid it across the table.

"I believe you know how to shoot?" He inquired with a raised eyebrow.

I casually reached forward to pick up the gun, running my forefinger along the trigger. "Do you want me to demonstrate?" I pointed the gun at Douche #1.

This, apparently, was too much for the bodyguard. He unfolded his hands and stumbled backwards, staring at me through his shades like I was crazy. I grinned at him.

_That's what you get for growling, fucker._

"Please." Aro said, his stare unfaltering. "Do it. Demonstrate."

I glanced at him sharply. _Was he fucking serious?_ He merely raised an eyebrow at me.

The bodyguard let out a small gasp. "Mr. Volturi…"

"Shh," Aro hushed him, raising a small withered-looking finger. "Show me what you can do, Mr. Cullen."

I stared at him, my forefinger still resting precariously on the trigger. My eyes flickered towards the bodyguard who was vehemently shaking his head now.

I could hear my heartbeat pounding in my ears. The sound was deafening. The tension in the room was thick. I could see the other bodyguard stare at his sentenced colleague with his mouth agape.

Aro's gaze never faltered.

_He was testing me._

I swallowed, my jaw set. I allowed the familiar feeling of emotionless clarity wash over me just as it did before every match. My heart pounded faster and faster as the tension grew thicker and thicker.

Steadying myself, I raised the gun towards the man and allowed my finger to clamp down on the trigger.

The shot rang out firmly in the room. A low cry came from the man as he slumped to the ground. The tension broke as easy as it had set in as Aro smiled.

He glanced casually over at the man. "You didn't kill him."

I didn't bother looking at his wounded form. "I didn't plan to."

His eyes met mine once more and he clapped his hands together. He pushed away from his seat and made his way around the desk over to me. He rested a hand on my shoulder and gently pried the gun from my hands.

"We _will_ be great together, Edward." He smiled widely at me.

~•~

_Present Day, Eclipse Bar, Chicago_

The room was loud and crowded. The smell of imported beer and sweat did little to overwhelm whatever room freshener that they had filtered through the vents. There were small booths decorating the sides of the room where the particularly drunk could rest it off. To top it off, the strobe lights were carefully delegated throughout the room, making sure the clients knew that Eclipse was no run-of-the-mill club.

A fact that I knew well. I wouldn't be caught dead holding my business dealings at anywhere but the best.

I strode over to the VIP booths that were placed on a raised platform, overlooking the dance-floor. I nodded curtly at the bodyguard who immediately stepped aside to allow me room to enter.

"Mr. Cullen." He mumbled as I passed.

The far side of the booth was already occupied when I walked in. The man had slightly longer, dirty-blonde hair that was flicked neatly off to one side. It was a stark contrast to the chaotic mess that lay atop my head. His blue eyes were sharp and questioning, but unlike mine, they still held a little warmth.

"Jasper." I acknowledged him as I took the seat opposite him. There were plush pillows on either side of me and the table was pristine. Having been brought up the way I had, a part of me still caught all the details of the rich.

"Edward!" He smiled jovially back at me. "How've you been? It seems like ages since I last saw you."

"I'm well. And yourself?"

Jasper raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I see. Are we going to rely on formalities?"

"If we continue to fail to get these deals straight," I glared at him. "You said you were on it."

Jasper rolled his eyes and sighed. "I forgot that you can be a total grouch when you don't have a beer in you."

I cracked a grin at that. "Then hurry up and order me one, you son of a bitch."

Jasper chuckled. "Heineken?"

"Of course."

As though they'd been eavesdropping, a waitress immediately came over to us. She was young - I'd bet around twenty - with blonde hair and huge tits. The sight of her cleavage nearly spilling out of her shirt was a sight for sore eyes. She smiled widely at both of us as she pulled out an electronic order pad.

"Hi, welcome to Eclipse. My name's Katie. What can I get you gentlemen?" She practically purred, batting her fake lashes.

I caught Jasper's eye and we smirked at each other. When I first joined on with Aro, she was exactly the kind of girl that I would have gone for. I'd spend a night or a few hours with her and the next day I'd be gone.

My tastes hadn't changed, per se, I'd simply had a lot more on my plate work-wise to not allow so many distractions. But I wasn't busy tonight. I slowly eyed the girl from head to toe.

_Not bad. Not bad at all._

I licked my lips and sat back in my chair, making no secret of the fact that I was checking her out. She noticed and smiled flirtatiously back at me. I let out a short laugh and reached out, grabbing her hand.

She gasped quietly as I ran my hand along her bare ring finger. I could hear her breathing pick up. _Oh, this bitch wanted me bad._

"Not married." I commented with a smirk in her direction.

"No boyfriend, either." She encouraged, stepping a little closer to me. "Though I don't think that'd stop you."

_Damn right, it wouldn't stop me._

I hummed in agreement. "You know me, already." I pulled her hand up and placed a small kiss on her hand, grinning when I heard her exhale shakily.

She was clearly willing. Hell, she might as well have worn a shirt that said '_fuck me'_. Maybe I'd have a little fun tonight.

"Edward, let's order, yeah?" Jasper interrupted with a small grin. I scowled and let go of her hand. "Two Heinekens, darlin'." Jasper ordered for the both of us.

"I'll get right on that." She assured us with a lingering look in my direction. As she walked away, I detected an extra sway in her hips.

"And I thought you'd changed." Jasper said, amused. I turned back to look at him and smiled.

"Why? What reason do I have?" I challenged. "I'm rich and I'm single. No rules, Jasper."

Jasper's face grew serious as he leaned forward. "Edward, you and I both know that Aro's grooming you to take over. He has no heir, his intention with you has always been to secure the next head of the Volturi line."

I knew what he said was true. I'd realized it soon after I'd taken the job. I was good at what I did. Aro and I had both figured out that I had an…affinity with a gun and business.

These days, Aro sent me in his place for everything: meetings with other leaders, checking up on deals…it was as if he was making sure everybody was used to me being in charge.

I cleared my throat and brought my thoughts back to the present. "Your point?" I raised a cold eyebrow. "I can't have fun now, is that what you're saying?"

Jasper shrugged. "I'm just wondering what Aro would think of his next-in-line whoring around with all of Chicago." He said casually, leaning back in his seat. "You have responsibilities now, Edward."

"He sent you here tonight to make sure you said all this, didn't he?" I demanded angrily.

Jasper was silent, merely staring at me. That was all the answer I needed.

I huffed loudly, annoyed beyond belief. "What am I, five? Why the hell do I need a fucking babysitter?"

"Not a babysitter. Just someone to keep you in line." Jasper tried to rationalize for me. "Besides, he figured since I'm your best friend, why not make it seem like a normal night out?"

"This is fucking ridiculous," I spat, standing up. "I'm heading to the bathroom. You wanna follow me there, too?"

Jasper raised an eyebrow. "Do I need to?"

"For fucks sake!" I pushed away from the table frustratedly.

Almost immediately, something hit me sharply in the chest. A small cry echoed and I looked down to see a small brunette waitress carrying a tray, stumble backwards from where she hit me.

She managed to stay upright. The tray, however, wasn't so lucky. It went toppling to the ground, the glass shattering upon impact and the contents quickly spreading in to a small pool on the ground.

She gasped and immediately scrambled to the ground. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry." She stammered, attempting to pick up the glass with her bare hands. "I'm such a klutz, I didn't mean to-"

She looked up, her smooth, brown eyes meeting mine. I froze. The face that I was looking in to right now had to be the most beautiful one I'd ever seen.

Not sexy or seductive, though I had no doubt that she could be both. She had a face of _genuine_ beauty.

Her skin wasn't tan, but rather a creamy white, tinted with a gentle pink on her cheeks. Her eyes were wide and innocent-looking, her long eyelashes framing them perfectly. Her lips were perfectly pink and plump, parted gently as though they were begging for me to kiss them.

"Bella, what have you done!" A voice hissed, breaking our moment. Katie - the blonde from before - rushed towards us, glaring at the beautiful brunette. "I'm so sorry, sir." She simpered in my direction. "I can assure you that this will be taken care of." She nodded in the direction of the girl still at my feet.

I glanced down to see her eyes widen in fear at Katie's words. She quickly looked down, looking utterly deflated. For some weird reason, I felt annoyance well up in me as I turned back to Katie.

"That won't be necessary," I said firmly. "It was my fault." I felt the brunette's eyes on me as I spoke. "I bumped in to her. I'll pay extra for the drinks."

Katie's eyes widened at my suddenly cold tone. "But, sir-"

"It was my fault." I reiterated with a glare.

Katie looked hurt and a little disgruntled but nodded anyway. Her eyes flickered to the brunette. "Clean this up, Bella. _Now._" She snarled, taking her anger out on the woman. She whirled away dramatically, leaving me and the brunette - _Bella_ - alone.

I looked down to see that the woman had pulled out a towel and was quickly sweeping all the glass in to it. How she hadn't cut herself yet was beyond me.

Her mahogany hair was pulled tightly in to a ponytail at the back of her head, allowing me to still see the side of her face. Her cheeks were bright red and she was chewing on her lip roughly.

_What was with this girl? And why did I just help her?_

Anyone who knew anything about me knew that I helped no one. I was a selfish motherfucker. Yet here I was, worrying about her fucking hands and the fact that they were touching glass.

_Pull it the fuck together, Cullen._

I exhaled hard and slowly bent down next to her. "Are you alright?" I asked her quietly.

She jumped a little, her wide eyes meeting mine. "Y-yes, sir. I apologize, once again." She whispered, as though afraid to make to much noise.

I always judged people by their voice. If their voice was loud and overwhelming, I instantly became angry. If it was shrill and demanding like that blonde waitress, I became annoyed.

Bella's voice was sweet and gentle. It simultaneously reminded me of wind and honey. It gave me a feeling that I'd never experienced before solely through someone's voice. It made me calm.

_'It made me calm'? You don't even know the girl. Slow the fuck down, Edward._

"Here, let me help." I said, moving to pick up the glass so that she wouldn't have to.

"Oh, no! Please don't, I can manage." She insisted, immediately grabbing both of my hands in hers.

The tingle that spread through the skin where she touched shocked me in to silence. My eyes flashed to hers and the widening of her eyes told me that she felt it, too.

Her hands were so soft, I had to glance down to make sure that they were real. Sure enough, there were her tiny hands gripping mine tightly.

She cleared her throat and slowly let go of my hands, resting her own on her thighs. "Please don't." She repeated softly. "You'll get your hands hurt."

I chuckled softly. "I doubt it."

She was afraid that my calloused, rough-as-fuck hands were going to get cut by glass? What about her dainty, petal-like ones? That was what I was fucking worried about.

She swallowed, avoiding my gaze. "Thank you for helping me with Katie." She said. "You didn't have to."

"Of course I did." I said casually, getting up and reaching out a hand to help her. "_I _bumped in to _you_. Why should you get blamed for that?"

She hesitantly took my hand and allowed me to pull her up. Once again I was left wondering what that damn tingling sensation was. As she bent down to pick up the towel full of glass, I subtly brushed my hand on the side of my pants.

_What the fuck had I touched?_

When she looked back up at me she smiled tentatively. "I'll have your beers over in just a minute." She nodded quickly at me then at Jasper before hurrying out of the lounge.

_Shit._ My eyes widened. _Jasper._ The fucker must have been watching the whole thing.

Sure enough, I whipped around to see Jasper studying me with a wide smirk on his face. I glared at his smug-ass face and slowly sat back down, all thoughts of the bathroom forgotten.

"Don't say a word, fucker." I warned.

"What?" He laughed. "I didn't say anything."

"Your expression's enough."

Jasper chuckled and leaned forward, opening his palms towards me. "Edward, come on, I'm just interested. I've never seen you like that before, and I'm curious."

"Curiosity killed the motherfucking cat."

Jasper rolled his eyes. "Oh, stop pouting, Edward."

_I swear to fucking Christ, if he wasn't my friend…_

"This is what I get for helping a girl out." I said, frustratedly. "Now you see why I don't do it."

"You know, Edward, I'd be able to take that whole 'I'm just helping her out' facade a lot more seriously if I didn't see you checking out her ass."

_Damn it._

I glared at him. "I check out a lot of girls." I reasoned.

"It's okay, man." He raised his hands up to reinforce his words. "She has a pretty hot ass."

My eyes narrowed. "_What?_"

"Yeah…perky, you know what I mean?" Jasper commented nonchalantly.

The motherfucking bastard. How the fuck would he know it was perky? Was he staring at it, too?

My teeth clenched and I glanced down at my hands to see that they had already curled in to fists on the table. _He's your best friend, Edward. You've known him forever. _

"And those lips…damn." Jasper sighed with a smile. "You think they taste like cherries?"

"_Goddamn it!"_

I lunged across the table and seized him by the collar. I reached in to my waistband and pulled out my Glock, pressing it to his temple.

Jasper's gaze never faltered. He didn't even look afraid as I stood there with my gun at his head. I glared at him, not knowing why the burning in the pit of my stomach at his words had been powerful enough to make me threaten my best friend.

A small, feminine gasp caught both our attention. My eyes flickered to the side and widened when I saw Bella standing with a tray of beer in her hands.

Her eyes were wide, her mouth open in shock as she stared at me hold a gun to the head of another man. Her chest heaved with the force of each breath, drawing my attention to the cleavage at the opening of her shirt.

_Shit. Shit, shit, shit._

I immediately let go of Jasper, stowing the gun back in my waistband and falling backwards in to my seat. Jasper did the same, his eyes flickering between me and Bella.

Apprehension filled me as I watched her quickly approach the table, fear evident in her every motion. She placed the tall glasses of beer in front of each of us with trembling fingers.

I glanced up at her as she set my beer in front of me, but she carefully avoided my eyes. She held the empty tray close to her chest - as though to protect herself - and stepped back.

"Is there a-anything else I can get you, sir?" She stuttered. She directed the question at Jasper, still avoiding me altogether. This annoyed me and I shifted my glare to Jasper.

His eyes flickered to me. "Nothing, thank you."

Bella nodded and quickly disappeared back in to the throngs of people. As soon as she left, I exhaled softly and rubbed the back of my neck frustratedly.

_She must think that I'm a total asshole now. _

Well, I was an asshole, but I didn't need her to know that. To top it all off, she saw me about to use a gun. To be fair, I wouldn't have actually used it, but I knew that it would look quite different to her.

"So, you're just trying to help her out, are you?" Jasper quirked an eyebrow at me. When I didn't respond, he shook his head. "I was afraid for my life there for a second."

"I wouldn't have actually pulled the trigger. You know that."

Jasper nodded. "I know. But in three years, that's got to be the only time that I genuinely thought you'd hurt me. And…it was over a _girl_. A girl you just met, no less."

"What's your point, Jasper? What do you want me to say?" I asked with a tired sigh. "You want me to say that I like her? Fine. I like her."

Jasper smiled. "Okay."

I raised an eyebrow. "Just 'okay'?"

"I really didn't need you to say anything." Jasper shrugged. "I was just seeing how far I could push you."

He laughed loudly when I glared at him. "You fucker!"

He grinned widely at me and raised his glass. "To pretty brunettes and taking over one of the most powerful mobs in all of the U.S."

I snorted as his lame-ass toast but raised my glass anyway. "Cheers, asshole."

~•~

"Aro doesn't need you to see my ass home, or are you just doing a half-ass job as usual?" I asked Jasper sarcastically as he gets in to his Mercedes.

Jasper just rolled his eyes and flipped me off. "Get home safe, _Eddie._"

I glared at him and his stupid-ass nickname for me that he knew I despised as he pulled away carefully from the curb and rounded the street. Fucker drove like an eighty-year-old grandma.

I walked a few feet away towards my own car and dug out my BlackBerry, checking for messages as usual. Lately, I'd been spending more time with the handheld device than I was with real people.

As I pulled out my keys, my eyes still glued to my phone, I heard a clatter somewhere to my right. The clatter was quickly followed by a groan.

My brows furrowed, I turned in the direction of the sounds. It was coming from an alleyway at the back of Eclipse. Curiosity drove my actions as I stowed my BlackBerry back in my pocket and slowly walked towards the alley.

It was dark and smelled like shit. I could hear vague laughter and the clinking of silverware from Eclipse. This must have been where the back entrance was located.

I squinted and saw a small figure on the ground, picking up the contents of what was clearly a handbag. I swallowed, something in my gut already telling me who this figure was.

As I got closer and closer, familiar brown hair confirmed my suspicion. I came to a stop and watched as she grabbed whatever her hands came across and shoved it back in to her bag.

She was still in her Eclipse uniform. A crisp, white button-up shirt and a black pencil skirt that made her legs look fucking gorgeous.

When she grabbed the last item - a pack of tissues, she stopped for a second and sighed. She allowed her hand to fall and just sat there, looking at the ground. It was as if all her energy had simply been sapped.

It made my stomach churn uncomfortably to see her like that. I wasn't sure why.

Maybe it was because I'd been in her position. Living from paycheck-to-paycheck, wondering if I was going to be able to make the rent…feeling as if the whole damn world was just conspiring against me.

Maybe I just didn't want to see her cry. Either way, I took a louder step towards her than I had before, alerting her to my presence.

Her head whipped upwards and her eyes widened in fear when she saw me. She clearly recognized me from before when I was…holding a gun. She immediately scrambled upwards, grabbing her bag and clutching it close to her chest.

"Stay back!" She warned. It would have been a lot more intimidating if I couldn't clearly hear the tremble in her voice.

I raised my hands up near my head to show her that I didn't mean her any harm. Apparently she didn't believe me because the next second, she dug through her bag and pulled out a can of pepper spray.

"Stay away from me!" She shouted. "I'll use it, I swear!"

I had the strangest urge to chuckle. However, I didn't think it'd make the best impression, so I forced it down. "I don't doubt it." I replied, trying to calm her down.

She stared at me, her hand still clutching at the spray. She was clearly debating whether or not to trust me. When she didn't shout at me again, I decided it was finally safe to take another step towards her.

Wrong move.

Her eyes flashed in fear and she jerked the spray at me, pressing down hard on the thumb trigger. I immediately braced myself for the spray of pure stinging hell that was sure to come.

We both froze when nothing came. Nothing came out of the spray, period.

Bella's eyes widened and she glanced down at the spray. "What…" She shook the can vigorously and sprayed again.

Her baffled look was my undoing. I crossed my arms against my chest and bit the inside of my cheek to try and hold in my laugh.

Her eyes snapped over to me and narrowed. "Are you laughing at me?"

I let out a short laugh and shook my head. "No, I'm sorry." I smiled apologetically at her. "Not laughing." I forced a serious look on to my face.

She eyed me warily for a few seconds before a small smile wormed its way on to her face. She quickly ducked to hide it. "Well, that was a bust." She gestured to the spray. "But I'm guessing that if you really wanted to kill me…you would have done it by now." She glanced up at me. "I _can_ trust you, right?"

My smile faded as I thought of Aro and the gun still in my waistband. "No, I don't think you should."

She swallowed, her fingers tightening on the spray. "Will you kill me?"

"No."

She nodded and relaxed a little. She moved to stow the pepper spray back in her bag.

"Don't." I said, sharply.

She jumped a little and stared at me in confusion. "What?"

"Don't put it away." I told her. "Even if it doesn't work, it's still a damn good threat. You're walking alone at night. Don't take chances."

Staring at me with furrowed eyebrows, she slowly took the bottle out and held it in her hand. "So, I'm just supposed to walk home with this in my hand?"

I cracked a small smile at that. For some odd reason, I didn't like the thought of her walking home alone altogether. It was the same weird-ass protective urge that made me lunge at Jasper.

"Or," I began, my heart suddenly beating very fast. "I could give you a ride and you wouldn't have to."

She slowly adjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder and bit her lip. "I don't even know you."

"My name's Edward Cullen." I said, feeling a wave of confidence hit me. "Nice to meet you, Bella. Now you know me."

Her eyes widened. "How do you know my name?"

"That other waitress - Kate, was it? She said your name when she was…"

"Shouting at me?" Bella finished with a wry smile. She sighed and shook her head. "You…" She swallowed nervously. "You had a gun."

"So do millions of other people." I stated with a shrug.

"You were pointing at that man." She frowned, taking a step away from me.

_No._

"I wasn't actually going to shoot him." I growled, a little annoyed. Why wouldn't this girl just accept the damn ride?

My growl merely served to scare her even more and her eyes widened as she took another step back. I sighed and ran a hand roughly through my hair.

"Bella, look, I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to drive you home so that no one else does, either."

Now she looked confused. "Why do you care so much?"

_Well, shit. Wasn't that the million dollar question?_

I swallowed. "I don't know." I said quietly. "But I promise that I won't hurt you."

She stared at me hesitantly. "I…I don't live that far away. It would be pointless to take a car."

"Then I'll walk you."

A soft smile touched her lips. "You really aren't going to give up, are you?"

I grinned back at her. "Not on this one, no."

She took a few steps towards me and her scent of vanilla immediately overwhelmed the one of the crappy alley. "Just so you know," She said, narrowing her eyes. "I have another can of pepper spray in my bag that does actually work, so don't try anything. You can't shoot a gun if you can't see."

I smirked at her. "That's why I train in the dark." I said honestly.

Her intimidating look faltered for a second before she laughed lightly, thinking that I was joking. "Okay, Batman."

"I wouldn't be caught dead in that cape." I scowled playfully at her.

She blushed. "The cape is kind of hot." Her eyes widened as though she couldn't believe she just said that.

_Fuck. Me. I _couldn't believe it. That fucking blush…

I cleared my throat in an attempt to push away thoughts of her and me doing it in the Batmobile. "So, where are we headed?" I asked lightly.

She smiled at me gratefully for changing the subject. "Um, it's this way." She said, walking slowly out of the alley and turning to the right.

I followed her, a small smile spreading across my face at her nervousness. I glanced briefly at my Aston Martin as we passed.

I knew that no one would dare tow it even if the time for parking here had expired. Bella, however, didn't.

She stared at the car with wide eyes. "Is that yours?" She asked, turning to me in disbelief.

I nodded. "Regret saying 'no' to that ride now?" I smirked at her.

She rolled her eyes and pointed to the parking sign above the street. "Eight a.m. to eight p.m. It's a little past twelve."

"So?" I shrugged, walking away from the car.

"What is _wrong_ with this guy?" She muttered to herself in confusion. I bit back a grin.

She caught up to me, latching on to my arm so that I would stop. I turned to face her, trying desperately to ignore those same damn tingles that shot up my arm.

"Seriously, you're going to get towed!" She insisted.

"Bella, calm down."

"Why are _you_ so calm about this? That's your car!" She frowned.

I raised an eyebrow at her. "Do you want to get home or not?"

"Not if that means that your car's going to get towed. I don't want you to end up…sending me the fine or something because it's my fault." She said stubbornly, crossing her arms against her chest.

"Do you seriously think I would do that?" I asked, a little insulted.

"Yes…no, I don't know!" She said, throwing her arms up in frustration.

"Look, don't worry about the car. Keep walking." Feeling a little bold, I placed a hand on the small of her back and pushed her forward.

"You're crazy." She stated, shaking her head.

"Thank you." I grinned at the back of her head.

We walked in silence for a while. In the silence, I was left to wonder once more, why in the world I was doing this. Who was she to me? Why was she making me laugh more often than I could remember?

There was no doubt that I wanted her in my bed. She had the most perfect fucking body I'd ever seen. A slim frame, but with curves clearly outlined in all the right places. She was short. She only reached the middle of my throat - and that was _with_ heels on.

Speaking of which…I glanced down and had to push back a groan. The tall heels made her legs look fucking delicious. But wait…was she fucking _limping_?

I frowned. "Are you hurt?"

She glanced back at me. "Sorry?"

"Your foot…you're limping." I gestured towards her legs.

"Oh." She laughed softly. "Yeah, I'm not great with heels. And these just give me the worst blisters."

"Then take them off." I reasoned.

She stared at me like I was crazy. "And go barefoot?"

"Well, I could always carry you."

_What. The. Fuck. _Where the fucking hell had that come from?

Bella's eyes widened and she immediately shook her head. "No. No way. You're not carrying me to my house."

"Okay, fine." I said quickly. Maybe it was best. I didn't think having her at that close proximity would do any favors for my raging libido. "Me carrying you, ruled out. Got it."

Bella bit her lip and looked down at her feet. "It's only a short distance, right? As long as I don't…step in a ditch or something, I should be okay."

I snorted. "Who're you trying to convince, me or you? Just take off the fucking shoes, Bella."

She scowled at me, but bent down anyways. Gently unstrapping the buckle around her ankles, she pulled off each heels. When she finally stepped on to the gravel with her heels in her hand, I saw that she barely reached the top of my shoulder.

It was ridiculous. She was actually _tiny._

She squirmed slightly, wiggling her toes as though trying it out. She caught me raising an eyebrow at her and chuckled. "Sorry." She smiled. "It just feels weird."

She glanced up and shivered slightly. I instantly felt like the biggest asshole alive. "Shit, sorry." I shook my head at my own foolishness as I removed my suit-jacket.

"What? Oh, no, it's fine!" She insisted, backing away when I moved to offer it to her. "Really, I'm not cold."

"Then why were you shivering?" I challenged.

"It was just a knee-jerk reaction. I swear." She defended.

"Bella, just take the damn coat." I sighed.

"Then you'll be cold!"

"For God's sake, woman! Let me be a fucking gentleman for once!" I chuckled. "I've never tried it before."

She hesitated for a second before laughing. "Fine." She relented, allowing me to wrap it around her shoulders. "I still don't know why you're doing all of this for me."

I stilled. My stomach clenched slightly. I didn't know why I was doing all of this for her either. What was this going to lead to anyway? Would I just fuck her tonight and be done with it?

I forced out a small laugh and adjusted the coat on her shoulders so that it wouldn't fall off. "You'll be the first to know when I figure it out myself." I told her.

She shot me a strange look before nodding. She began walking forward again and I followed. I rolled up the sleeves of my dress shirt as a silence enveloped us again.

It was a while before we reached a dark, slightly shady looking building. I wouldn't have spared it a second glance if Bella hadn't stopped in front of it.

"This is me." She said, glancing upwards like she still wasn't used to it.

It was sketchy as hell. I understood that it was all her paycheck could afford, but she really shouldn't be living here.

"Let me walk you to your door." I said, moving forwards. She quickly stopped me with a hand on my bare forearm.

_Fuck me sideways._

It took everything in me to not hiss at the sensations that ran through my arm. Was it even possible to get hard with a single touch?

"No, really," She was saying. "You've come so far. I can make it to my door alone."

I furrowed my brows. "It's no problem."

She hesitated. "It's partly for my own safety. I don't know you. You could probably figure out where I lived if you really wanted to, but…I'm hoping that I can trust you."

She had a point. I should have been glad that she at least had a little bit of self-preservation. I nodded and she released my arm.

"Thank you for walking me home and helping me at the restaurant." She smiled, the action leaving two small dimples in either of her cheeks. "You didn't have to."

The corner of my mouth turned upwards. "Goodnight, Bella."

I dug my hands deep in to the pockets of my pants and walked slowly back to my car. I should have been pissed that I had to make the extra effort, but…I wasn't.

I was already planning my next visit to Eclipse.

~•~

"I really shouldn't be surprised." Jasper said, grinning at me as I walked towards him. He was standing at the front of Eclipse with a cigarette in between his fingers. "I knew you had a thing for the brunette, but stalking her at work is going a little far, don't you think?"

I rolled my eyes and pushed past him to go inside the club. There was a long line of people waiting to the side of us, but the bouncer merely nodded us inside.

"I'm not stalking her." I told him as we walked inside. It was loud, but at least the music wasn't utter crap. "After that night we…talked."

Jasper's hand shot out to stop me in my tracks. "Wait, what?"

I glared at him and roughly pushed his hand off me. He knew I didn't like it when people touched me. Jasper ignored me and plowed forward. "When did this happen?" He demanded.

I shrugged. "I walked her home."

"She allowed you?"

I scowled at him. "What, you think I can't talk her in to it? How many girls have I fucked, Jasper?"

Jasper shook his head. "Fucking is one thing, talking is another. Unless…you fucked her too?" He eyed me suspiciously.

I grit my teeth and shook my head. "I didn't…_fuck_ her."

"Exactly. This girl is something else." Jasper looked amused above anything. "I can't wait to meet her."

"You're not meeting her, fucker."

"All evidence to the contrary." Jasper nodded towards where Bella was serving another couple of men that were also seated in the VIP booths.

She looked as beautiful as ever, smiling politely and serving their drinks. Them, however…I narrowed my eyes at each and every one of them. They were fat and ugly. They were probably rich and looking to cheat on their wives with some young gold-digger.

And I didn't like the way that they were looking at her in the least.

I pushed forward through the crowd, Jasper behind me and strode roughly over to the VIP lounge. Bella was just coming down as we were making our way up.

She glanced up at me and smiled widely. "Edward, you're back!"

I smiled back and shrugged. "Had to make sure you didn't drop any more beers."

She blushed at the reminder of her gaffe and shook her head. She turned to Jasper and smiled politely. "It's so nice to have you back, sir."

"Nice to be back…Bella, was it? I'm Jasper." Jasper stuck his hand out and shot me a smug look.

Bella shifted the tray to the other arm to shake Jasper's hand. "Nice to meet you, Jasper."

"More beer!" A sudden, boisterous voice shouted from behind us. The command was followed by a bunch of raucous laughter.

It was one of the assholes from before. This particular fat-ass had a huge bald-spot and was grinning like a fucking idiot, shaking his empty mug at Bella. I narrowed my eyes at the motherfucker, ready to go up there and pound his face in just for being so fucking annoying.

Bella grimaced, bringing me back down to reality. "I'll be right with you, sir." She called back politely. She turned back to me. "They're already drunk." She whispered conspiratorially. "I don't think they're even going to last the rest of the hour, let alone the night."

I frowned. "Why'd they leave you with them?"

"What do you mean?"

"Shouldn't they have a guy deal with these bastards?" I asked, crossing my arms against my chest. I was a little pissed off that they were sending in an innocent girl to be with these fuckers.

Granted, I may have not have had a problem if the girl was anyone other than Bella. Nonetheless, it was just bad management.

Bella shrugged. "I was asked to be their waitress. I do what I'm told to do. I can't afford to lose this job."

"What's the hold-up?" The man roared again.

My temper flared and I was just about to tell the man that I was gonna shove his face in to the wall if he opened his mouth one more time when Bella got there before me. "I'm sorry, sir. I'll be right with you."

Bella turned to me and cringed. "I'm sorry Edward, Jasper, but I have to go. I'll send someone over for both of you right away."

As she made to push past us, I quickly grabbed her arm. "I want you."

Her eyes widened and I felt my pulse quicken as her mouth popped open. I was suddenly highly aware of how close we were and how easy it would be for me to bend down and kiss those lips that I'd been fantasizing about ever since I left her four nights ago.

I could feel her soft breath flutter against me as she exhaled shakily. "Wh-what?"

"I want you to be our waitress." I told her, subtly pulling her closer. She glanced down at where my hand was still holding on to her arm.

"I-I'll see what I can do." She stuttered, quickly pulling away from me and hurrying off towards the bar.

I felt a smirk spread across my face as I watched her walk away. Jasper let out a low whistle, capturing my attention.

"Why don't you just hump her next time?" Jasper asked with a smirk. "That'll be less awkward for me. Serves me right for thinking that this was a guys night and coming without a date."

"Shut up, asshole." I said, punching him lightly in the shoulder. We made our way to the same booth as last time. I glanced in annoyance at the men that were still being far too loud for their age.

"How many bullets does it take to throw six old fuckers out of a club?" I muttered to Jasper as we passed them.

Jasper looked amused. "More than what it's worth."

I sighed in acceptance and sat down, drumming my fingers impatiently on the table. "Where is she?"

"She just left!" Jasper laughed incredulously. "For God's sake, Edward! I'm happy that you found a girl, really, but this is getting ridiculous." He sat back in his seat and eyed me carefully. "Does Aro know that you've done nothing for the past few days but sit in your apartment fantasizing about a waitress while having Demetri do all the work?"

I scowled at him. "Everyone needs a fucking break. I've been working non-stop for the past year. I haven't turned my BlackBerry off since the day I fucking bought it."

"And you know very well why." Jasper shot me a meaningful look. "I want the best for you, Edward. I think that you'd make an excellent leader, and so does Aro. But you need to get your head back in the game." I crossed my arms against my chest, glaring at the table. I knew he was right. "Just a few more days and everything's gonna be passed down to you anyway. Then you can take a little break or what-the-fuck-ever."

"Fine." I roughly ran my hands through my hair. The approaching click of heels caught my attention. It caught Jasper's attention too.

The minute he saw Bella walking in to the lounge he sighed. "Good thing I finished my speech before she came back. You're not gonna listen to a word I say anymore."

I didn't want to admit it, but he was right. I couldn't and didn't want to take my eyes off her the minute she was back in my line of sight.

She walked carefully, so as not to spill the drinks, towards the other table. The men shouted loudly as she approached, clearly happy to see more alcohol. I scanned her face intently to see her repress a grimace.

She balanced the tray in one arm and methodically placed each drink in front of its drinker. "Is there anything else I can get you?" She asked robotically.

The impatient bastard from before sniggered. "You bet, honey."

The next few moments occurred before me as if in slow-motion. I saw him raise his hand and bring it dangerously close to her. My fists clenched and I was already out of my seat. I could vaguely hear Jasper calling my name. Then I saw that very same hand move towards her ass and roughly grab it through her tight skirt.

Everything went red after that. I heard Bella gasp, quickly pushing him off and backing away, but that's the last thing I registered until I had the man's wrist in my hand, twisting it behind his back and shoving his head on to the table.

Time caught up and I clearly heard Jasper shouting my name from behind me and the man's cries of pain. "What the hell, man?" He shouted as his companions quickly stood. They all stared in shock at the scenario unfolding before them but did nothing to stop it.

_Cowards._

"Edward!" I heard _her_ voice behind me as well. It was filled with shock and fear. "Edward, please!" But I was too far gone.

I pushed his face further on to the table, the movement twisting his wrist in a way that I knew a single twitch could snap bone. He squeezed his eyes shut and cried out from the pain. "Oh, fuck!" He gasped. "Let go, let go!"

"Apologize!" I roared in a voice that _I_ didn't even recognize as my own. I vaguely registered a bunch of footsteps hurry in to the lounge and someone question Bella.

"I'm sor-oh Jesus! I'm sorry, man!" He grit his teeth.

"To her, goddamn it!"

He tilted his head to look at her the best he could from his position. "I'm sorry, Miss. It won't happen again."

"Damn right it won't happen again." I hissed, lowering my mouth to his ear. "Because if it does, I will hunt you down. I'll break every damn bone in your worthless body and throw your perverted-ass in to the deepest, darkest place on Earth where no one will have to look at you, you filthy piece of shit."

I roughly released him and took a step back. I watched as he immediately brought his hand forward, cradling it and whimpering like a fucking baby. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jasper take a step towards me.

"I want them out. _Now._" I ordered, turning sharply towards the man standing next to Bella, who I knew was the manager.

He would give me what I wanted. He knew who I was and what I would do to him and his club if he didn't comply. Both would be left as if they'd never existed if he said 'no'.

His eyes widened. "O-of course, sir. Right away." He stammered, snapping his fingers at the large men who were standing behind him.

I watched, still seething, as the men were escorted out by security. They didn't even protest, carefully avoiding my blazing eyes. They were lucky I didn't murder each and every one of them where they stood.

From behind me, I heard a sharp exhale and turned to see Bella still staring at the place where the man had been in shock. Her hand was pressed tightly to her chest and her eyes were full of disbelief.

_Shit. _

I hadn't thought this through. I'd just gotten her to trust me, to believe that I wasn't a bad person. She would never let me near her now.

But this was honestly so fucking stupid. Was the woman actually mad at me for protecting her? Wasn't that what all the bitches wanted these days? Chivalry?

Behind her, other men and woman that had come over to see what the commotion was, were whispering quietly amongst themselves. Many were staring at Bella, as though wondering what she was about to do. A few daring ones even chanced fearful looks in my direction.

I glanced at Jasper who was standing at my side. He looked mildly surprised, but I knew that it was because of the abruptness rather than actual action. He knew all about my temper and my violent tendencies.

He licked his lips and slowly nodded towards Bella. "You may want to take care of that." He said quietly. "I'll see to the bill and cover up a little."

He pat my shoulder and crooked a finger at the manager to follow him as he left the lounge. The man was sweating profusely and looked scared shitless, but followed Jasper without question.

I ran a hand through my hair, frustrated. A quick glance at Bella told me that this was not going to go over well. She was still frozen in place.

I really shouldn't have cared what she thought about me and anything I did. But there was something about this woman that I simply couldn't figure out. I wasn't going to let her leave until I understood why she had this hold over me.

I didn't _talk_ to women. I flirted, bought them a drink, took them to their apartment and gave them the best fuck of their life. Then…I left. There was never a morning after for me. If rumors got around the way I suspected they did, any woman who tried to approach me should have known what to expect.

Of course, some knew but still cried and begged me to stay. They were just naïve. I didn't stay for anyone.

But I'd walked Bella home. I didn't get anything out of it. I didn't get a good, hard fuck like I so desperately wanted. I saw the girl home safe, talked and teased her a little…that was partly what confused me so much.

Since when did I 'talk and tease'?

And why did this girl make it so easy to do so? I was going to get Jasper to do a background check on her the minute he got back. There had to be _some_ clear reason for this madness.

Until then…I had to keep her around.

"Bella." I said, taking a small step towards her.

Her eyes snapped over to me and she shook her head. "No." She whispered.

_Fuck._

"Bella, look-"

"No!" She backed away from me, still shaking her head firmly as though that would stop me from catching her if I really wanted to. I stepped forward, ready to grab her arm and force her to listen to me, but she quickly evaded my grasp. "No, no no!"

She shoved past me, sprinting out of the lounge and towards the door of Eclipse. My feet propelled me after her without thinking. I pushed people out of the way as I went.

I heard several '_hey_'s and _'what the fuck_'s as I passed, but ignored them rather than stopping and punching them all individually as I would have done normally.

When I finally stepped out of the club, a wave of cold air hit me. I glanced to my right and immediately saw Bella sprinting down the dark street. She stumbled occasionally, but kept at it.

"Fuck it." I muttered, quickly catching up with her now that there were no drunk bastards to stand in my way.

I grabbed her arm and roughly turned her to face me. "What the fuck, Bella?" I said, angrily.

"No, stay away from me!" She shouted, pushing as hard as she could at the hold that my hand had on her wrist. She let out a frustrated cry when my hand didn't move an inch. "I thought I could trust you!"

"What the hell are you fucking saying?" I demanded. "Because I made sure some creepy guy got his hand off you, you can't trust me anymore? That's fucking messed up, Bella!"

"No, you want to know what's 'messed up'?" Bella spat back at me, a spark in her eye telling me that she didn't like being shouted at one bit. "You! You and this weird power-trip that you're on! You could have broken that man's wrist, and he didn't even hurt me! We were in a room full of people, what could he have done?"

I scoffed. "Oh, come on, Bella."

_Was she really that fucking oblivious?_

"What?" She glared at me.

"You really think that that bastard would have left you alone just because there were people around? I've got news for you, sweetheart," I sneered, taking a step forward and pushing her against the brick wall behind her. "The world isn't as nice as you think it is. People get raped and killed everyday and most witnesses turn blind eyes. That asshole would have hurt you, and you know what's worse? You're standing here in front me of me fucking defending _him_ and getting mad at _me_ for saving your ass! Wake up and smell the fucking gunpowder, Bella. One day the world's just going to run right over you and you won't suspect a thing."

She stared at me with wide-eyes as I huffed angrily. I'll admit, my mouth had kind of taken on a mind of it's own after the first two sentences. But I was fucking _pissed_. I was pissed because this girl was so _innocent_.

She swallowed and shook her head. "That still doesn't justify what you did to him. You could have seriously hurt him. And that other night, you had a _gun_ out and were pointing it at your friend's head!"

_I knew that move was going to cost me._

But she didn't stop there. "You keep telling me about how the world isn't a good place a that I shouldn't be so trusting, but I trusted _you_! God, should I even be trusting you right now?" She looked at me with hysterical eyes.

"I told you not to trust me." I reminded her.

She gaped at me and shook her head. "You did." She said quietly. "I'm such an idiot!" She looked on the verge of tears. "Then, what was that whole nice act that you were putting on when you walked me home, huh? Or earlier this night?"

"Oh, stop it, Bella." I snapped. "It wasn't a fucking act, okay? Do you realize how weird this is for me?"

"How weird this is for _you_?" She repeated incredulously. "This rich, clearly violent man insists on walking me home and then attacks a pervy customer for me, and _I'm_ the weird one?"

"Goddamn it, Bella!" I said angrily, pushing her back against the wall. "I have _never_ fucking felt this way before, alright? I don't know why I want to talk to you and know you, but I fucking do. So you'll understand why I don't fucking appreciate you judging every single thing I do."

"How am I judging you? I let you walk me home after seeing you with a _gun_! I trusted you and I showed you where I live! If anyone's being paranoid here, it's y-"

My lips moved of their own accord, drawn to hers like magnets. I grabbed her face in my hands and slammed my lips against hers. She let out a small sound of surprise when my lips met hers.

If her hand on my bare skin had shot tingles through my body, this was sending fucking lightning bolts. It practically set my skin on fire.

I wanted desperately to deepen the kiss, but I knew that I'd already crossed the line. She was still frozen against me. Feeling slightly disappointed, I pulled my lips away from hers.

She stared at me with eyes as wide as saucers. Her eyes kept flickering between my eyes and my lips.

_Shitshitshit._

Had I messed this shit up before it'd even started?

I sighed. "Bella, fuck…I-" Before I could apologize, she leaned up and pressed her lips back to mine.

_Well, shit._

At first, both of our eyes widened. Not only because we were surprised at her actions, but also because there was clearly something between our lips. It was that damn fire again.

Slowly, both of our eyes closed and I allowed myself to enjoy it without thoughts of work and fat bastards that I wanted to sentence to very painful deaths.

I felt lust surge through my body as I moved my hands down to grab her waist, dragging her in to me. My thumbs brushed up her stomach, stopping just shy of her breasts.

Her hand tentatively settled on my cheek, encouraging but still hesitant and almost fearful. I slowly sucked her bottom lip in to my mouth, trying to be as reassuring as possible.

It was fucking hard when I wanted her so fucking badly.

I heard her gasp and quickly pulled back to make sure that I wasn't doing anything she didn't want. She looked back at me, with indecision clear in her eyes.

I swallowed, apprehension over…what-ever-the-fuck it was that I was feeling with this girl causing me to doubt our actions as well. "We don't have to do anything you don't want to, Bella." I told her quietly.

She nodded quickly and licked her lips, her hand still on my cheek. She was staring intently at my lips as though the answers to all her questions lay there. I tried to tamp down my lust as I waited for her to make a decision.

She slowly met my gaze. "I want."

A small grin spread across my face. "I want, too."

She laughed and buried her face in to my chest. "I must be going crazy."

"As much as I don't want to stop kissing you," I stepped away from the wall, pulling her with me. "We should probably move this somewhere a little more private." I nodded towards where a bunch of people in line waiting to get in to Eclipse were staring at us.

Bella blushed furiously. "They've been there the whole time! Oh, God!" She looked completely mortified, but I didn't see what the big deal was.

She'd clearly never fucked in public before. That train of thought brought on unwanted thoughts of Bella having sex with other men, though, so I quickly pushed it away.

I vaguely recognized one of the people staring at us as Katie from the night I met Bella. She'd clearly come out to see where Bella was. Her fists were clenched and her eyes were flashing with anger.

_Bitch was fucking psychotic._

Bella looked confused. "Is she mad at you or me?"

I cleared my throat awkwardly. "Me." I said shortly. "Come on, let's take my car." I quickly made my way towards my Aston, which was parked not too far away.

"Edward," Bella stopped me with a frown. "Why is she mad at you? Should you go talk to her?"

"Definitely fucking not." I said firmly. I fished out my keys and opened the passenger side door for her. She stared at me for a second before shaking her head.

"I guess you didn't get towed." She said wryly as she got in.

"I told you I wouldn't." I smirked as I closed her door and made my way over to my side. I glanced briefly up at Katie and saw that…fuck, was she crying?

I groaned, quickly pulling my door open and sliding inside. I started the car and quickly pulled away from the curb. I revved the engine and smirked because it sounded shit-hot.

"Edward, if you drive that fast, you're gonna miss my building." I glanced over to see that she was clutching at her seat.

I rolled my eyes but slowed down a little because I didn't want to waste any more fucking time. I needed to get her in bed.

"She was crying wasn't she?" Bella asked suddenly. "Katie was crying when we left."

"Seriously, Bella? You want to talk about your bitch of a boss right now?"

"She was _crying_, Edward! And if she's mad enough at you to cry, then I want to know what you did to her!"

I rolled my eyes. "Fucking hell, Bella, you really want to know? Fine, I flirted with her a little the night I met you. It could have been completely fucking innocent, but obviously she thought that five minutes of attention from me meant that we were getting married or some shit."

She stared at me with narrowed eyes. "You're a dick." She finally observed.

I barked out a laugh. "So I've been told."

She sighed and sat back in her seat. "Every sane bone in my body is telling me to make a break for it," She said. My eyes snapped to over to her.

_What the fuck? Was she going to ditch me after leaving me with that hell of a kiss? _

She smiled wryly at me and continued. "But my sister - and I've always thought she's really smart - would tell me to go for it, so that's what I'm doing."

"Remind me to buy your sister flowers." I breathed a sigh of relief.

I was rewarded with the sound of her laughter. I smirked at her out of the corner of my eye. I glanced out the window to see that it was the same building she'd left me at a couple nights back.

I slowly parked next to the curb. "I don't suppose telling you that this is a No Parking zone would stop you from parking here, would it?" She said, raising an eyebrow at me.

The corner of my mouth turned upwards and I leaned over to unclip her seatbelt. "Get out of the fucking car, Bella."

I opened my own door and walked over to open hers. "Thank you." She said, accepting my hand as I pulled her out of the car.

I'd had the worst manners in the fucking world before Aro hired me. I'd never been taught them. Aro had to have me trained just so that he could bring me out in to respectable mafia society.

I allowed Bella to lead me in to the building. I glanced around, reflecting on the fact that only a couple years ago I lived in a place like this. It was dark and there was a single flickering light-bulb hanging above.

Bella hesitated by the elevator. "We could take the elevator, but…we might get stuck."

I smirked down at her, slipping my hand down to her ass. "Elevator sex sounds pretty hot." I commented.

She blushed prettily. "Stop." She punched my shoulder. "We'll take the stairs. I only live on the third floor so it shouldn't be a problem."

I nodded and made no secret of the fact that I was checking out her ass as she climbed. It made the climb a lot more entertaining. She finally rounded off in to the hallway of the third floor and pulled out her keys.

"My apartment's pretty small," She said, blushing in embarrassment as she fumbled with her keys. "It's nothing like what you probably live in." I raised an eyebrow and leaned against the doorway as she rambled. "I mean, you're rich and this is just, you know, what I can afford and-"

I gripped the back of her head and pulled her lips to mine. I kissed her softly, leaning backwards to peck her once before I opened my eyes. "Bella, I couldn't care less where you lived."

She smiled slowly and nodded. "Okay." She stuck the key in to the keyhole and slowly opened the door to reveal, an admittedly small apartment.

As I stepped in behind her, memories of my own old apartment flashed through my mind. I could still remember the tired nights that I would come home and throw myself on to my couch, not bothering with dinner, nor having the money to.

I swallowed and watched as Bella quickly flicked on the lights, dropping her keys in to a small bowl on a table next to the door. "I'll have to call Angela later and ask her to grab my stuff." She glanced at me sheepishly. "I ran out of there. I guess I'll have to go over later to see if I still have a job, too."

"You will." I said firmly.

_I'd make sure she did._

She shot me a strange look but let it go as she walked further in to the apartment. There was a small, old, but cosy-looking couch placed in the middle of the room. There was a tiny TV in the corner and a coffee table with a bunch of papers scattered over it.

"It's a mess, I know," Bella commented nervously, eyeing me as I took everything in. "Can I get you something? Water, juice?"

I smirked and walked over to her, running my hands up her hips. I dragged her in to me. "I didn't come over here for fucking water, Bella."

I leaned down and quickly caught her lips with mine. She allowed me to take control of the kiss, her hands gripping tightly on to my forearms. I licked along the length of her lips, encouraging her to open her mouth to me. She did so tentatively, letting out a small gasp as I touched her tongue with my own.

I walked her gently in to the wall, kissing her deeply as I did. I could already feel myself growing hard and I knew that I needed to be in her.

How the fuck did us arguing lead to this?

As I gripped the back of her neck, she moaned softly. It was barely there, but I heard it loud and clear. I leaned back and raised an eyebrow at her. She blushed and bit her lip.

I grinned and slid my jacket off, throwing it somewhere on the ground. I slammed my mouth back against hers. I licked at her lips, pleading again for entrance. This time she granted it to me easily with a sigh. I shoved my tongue in to her mouth, groaning as I tasted her distinct cherry flavor. I heard her moan again when my hands drifted down to squeeze her ass.

I grabbed her upper thighs, urging her to wrap them around my waist. She lifted one leg and I pushed her up against the wall, grinding in to her. We both let out a moan, and our kisses became more frantic. I felt one of her hands travel to my chest and trail her fingers down to my stomach. I felt my entire body tighten as her fingers traced along my abs, trailing closer and closer to my waistband before she wrapped her hand around my neck again.

"Fuck." I growled. She just laughed softly at me. I smirked and pushed her further against the wall, my lips traveling down her jaw to her neck, sucking gently at her pulse point. My hand came up to her stomach, feeling the smooth surface through her shirt.

If we kept going at this rate, I had no doubt that I would be fucking her against the wall in no time. And for some fucked up reason, I wanted to have her in a bed first, no matter how hot wall-sex would have been.

I pulled away from her grip and pushed off the wall. Her eyes slowly opened and her brows furrowed in surprise.

We were both panting from the intensity of the kiss. Her white Eclipse shirt did little to hide her heaving cleavage. I groaned at the sight.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck." I gripped her thighs and lifted her up so that she could wrap her legs around me.

I quickly found her lips once more as I walked her towards an open door. She glanced behind us and giggled against me.

"Bathroom, Edward." "Hell." I swore, shaking my head in frustration. I walked towards the other door and raised an eyebrow at her for approval. She nodded and I quickly pushed the door open, guiding her towards the bed. I gently set her down and leaned over her.

"Bella," I cupped my cheeks and brought her gaze towards me. "Are you okay with this? Can I-fuck, I mean-"

She quickly silenced me, kissing me softly. "I want, Edward." She said, softly.

I stared at her for a long time before nodding. I started kissing her again, one hand slowly coming up to gently massage her breast through the fabric of her shirt.

_Holy shit, she was perfect._

She moaned as I gently pulled at her nipple. I pulled back from her lips to place open-mouthed kisses on her jaw and neck.

I could hear her heavy breathing as she pulled at the buttons of my shirt. I let her run her hands run along my chest and abs, groaning at the feeling of her soft hands on my skin.

I growled as her hands traced my stomach just above my pants. Grabbing her hand roughly, I pulled her towards me. My hands explored her greedily. She clung to me as my fingers pulled at the zipper of her skirt.

I pulled it down, allowing her to shimmy out of it. I groaned loudly at the sight of her long legs and her pussy covered only by a plain black pair of panties with lace at the waistband.

Needing desperately to see more of her, I quickly undid the buttons of her shirt and tossed it to the side. Bella moaned and quickly reached behind her to unclasp her bra and throw that on the floor as well.

"Fuck, Bella." I breathed as I took in the sight of her beautiful, bare breasts. They were big enough to fit perfectly in my hands. Her pink nipples were standing erect, just begging for my lips on them.

Before I could satisfy that desire, she grabbed at my face and pulled my lips back down to hers. I chuckled, allowing her to kiss me. As I kissed her, my hands palmed her bare breasts, eliciting the loudest moan from her yet.

She clutched at my shoulders as my lips roamed over her nipples, sucking lightly. I swirled my tongue around each tip, groaning at the taste of her skin. One of my hands roamed lower to gently cup her through her panties.

She gasped, her legs instinctively clenching around my hand. I could already feel the wetness that pooled in her underwear and I groaned, gently tracing up and down her pussy.

"Edward." She moaned, throwing her head back against the pillows.

"What, Bella?" I asked, kissing the underside of her jaw gently.

"I need you." She said, shifting under his hand, desperate to get some friction.

"You need me to what?"

"To-to touch me." She gasped out.

_Whatever you want, babe. _

I shot her a crooked smirk and slowly pulled her panties down her legs, throwing them off to the side. I glanced down, seeing that she was neatly trimmed. _Fucking perfect, _I thought again.

I rubbed her clit briefly before plunging one finger in to her. I grinned as she cried out at the action. She was slick and _so fucking tight._ I was painfully hard at this point, and had to resist from humping her before she got off.

"Fuck you're so tight." I growled, pulling back only to insert another finger. She thrust against my hand as I thrust inside her over and over again. I watched as her eyes shut tightly and her mouth formed a perfect 'o'. She gasped against my hand, her hands clutching the sheets beside her. I felt her tighten around me as her cries grew louder.

My thumb rubbed my clit once last time and her walls clenched completely, her cries echoing in the room.

"Edward!" She cried as she came. I smirked and kept on thrusting as she rode out her orgasm. I slowed my movements once she relaxed, still breathing heavily. I pulled my fingers out of her and moved up to kiss her lips.

She smiled at me. "That was amazing."

I chuckled. Nothing like a good stroke of the ego. "You're acting like you've never had an orgasm before."

She bit her lip, carefully avoiding my gaze. My eyes widened. "You've never had an orgasm before? Fuck, the guys you slept with must have been pretty shitty."

Bella laughed softly. "There's only one guy. And he was sort of self-centered, I guess."

I smirked at her. "Trust me, sweetheart, there's no way that you're leaving this bed without coming again."

Her eyes widened and her eyes drifted down to where the bulge in my pants was very noticeable. I grinned at her and quickly undid my belt buckle, kicking my pants and boxers off.

I glanced up to see her staring at my cock like she'd never seen one before.

"Bella." I chuckled. She met my gaze and smiled sheepishly. I bent down and rummaged in the pocket of my pants to pull out my wallet. I flipped it open and quickly retrieved a condom.

"I didn't know that guys actually did that." Bella said, raising an eyebrow at me.

"Have to always be prepared. Haven't you ever been to a seventh grade health class?"

I leaned down and kissed her deeply. I lowered my hips and slowly entered her.

"Fuck," I hissed. "You're so fucking tight."

I massaged her hips and kissed her gently, groaning above her. I pecked her softly on the lips before thrusting fully in to her. She let out a loud moan, reaching up to clutch my shoulders.

I started thrusting hard in and out of her, groaning at the feel of her tight pussy milking me for all it was worth. She met each and every one of my thrusts, panting heavily against me. She grabbed my face and brought my lips back to hers as our hips thrust against each other.

"Wrap your legs around me." I told her, gritting my teeth.

She quickly complied and I began thrusting faster and deeper. I groaned, listening to her cries as I went harder each time.

"Edward!" I heard her moan as I slammed my hips in to hers.

"Fuck, Bella!" I growled above her. I knew I wasn't going to last long. I could already feel my balls tightening. I quickly reached down and rubbed her clit, hearing her moan louder than ever.

"Come for me, Bella," I breathed. "Come for me now."

I rubbed her faster and she quickly gave in to my request. She cried out my name, her nails digging in to the flesh of my shoulders. I grit my teeth as her walls tightened even further around me. I thrust in to her fast and hard a few more times and I quickly came undone.

"Bella, shit, fuck!" I shouted as I felt the wave of sensations flood over me. When I finally came down from my high, I collapsed against her.

"Fuck." I murmured against her neck. "You're amazing, Bella."

I heard her laugh weakly. I rolled off her and quickly slipped off the condom, tying it off and throwing it in to the garbage can next to the nightstand. I sat on the edge of the bed, unsure of what to do now.

This was the point - normally - where I left.

I heard the shuffling of sheets behind me. She sighed. "You're going to leave now, aren't you?"

I swallowed, not turning around. "I should."

She was silent for a while. "Could you…" She hesitated and I felt her small hand on my shoulder. "Could you maybe stay? Just for a little while."

I turned around slowly and swore inside when I met her big, brown eyes. She was pleading with me silently to just stay. I could name a bunch of other girls off of the top of my head that had asked me to stay, too.

But none of them had come this close to shaking my resolve.

She bit her lip. "Please." She held her hand out and I slowly took it, lying down next to her.

She smiled widely at me, but I couldn't smile back. Even as she placed a hand on my chest and curled up against me, all I could think was: _what the hell am I doing?_

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I was nervous as all hell. I have no fucking idea how I fell into the best sleep I'd had in years.

~•~

The next morning, I woke up long before any normal person should. A quick glance at the clock told me that it was five o'clock. It was as if my instincts were kicking in, telling me to get the hell out of there before she woke up.

I glanced down to see her still sleeping quietly, her mouth slightly open and her eyes closed peacefully. I ran a hand roughly through my hair in frustration.

_Shit._

She was still beautiful.

I leaned down and kissed her cheek softly so as not to wake her. As I slipped back in to my clothes, one question kept running through my head.

_Did I want to see her again?_

I had to repress a groan at the headache it was causing me. I dug my hand in to my pocket and took out my phone.

I saw several messages waiting, but only opened the one from Jasper.

_I'm guessing you left with Bella. Don't fuck this up, asshole. - J_

I scowled at the message for several seconds. What the hell did he mean? That was the thing with Jasper. He tried to get in to your head with all this meaningful bullshit and never bothered to explain himself.

_Don't fuck this up_.

I glanced over at Bella and felt my stomach churn uncomfortably. I took a deep breath and grabbed a pen and a piece of paper from the notepad on her bedside table.

I quickly jotted down my phone number and underneath it I wrote: _Forgive me?_

Because I couldn't stay now. I just fucking couldn't. I couldn't have her wake up and stare at me with those eyes, knowing that her and I…we could never last.

But I would never forget last night.

**AN: So…? How was it? I've decided that if enough people want it, I will continue this story, so don't forget to hit that follow button!**

**Also, thanks to all my FB ladies for giving me inspiration on this one! You guys are completely awesome.**

**M-J**


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